Afghanistan, owing to its geo-strategic location and mineral wealth has acquired significance in world politics. This volume outlines Afghanistan's efforts to build a stable and peaceful democratic polity, with the external military support from the U.S.A. and its NATO allies and analyses the nation's development initiatives with India, China, Russia, and Germany.

Rajen Harshé is Visiting Professor in the Department of International Relations, South Asian University, New Delhi, India. He has been President of the G. B. Pant Social Science Institute of Allahabad since August 2014 and was the first Vice Chancellor of the University of Allahabad (2005-10) after it regained central status.

Dhananjay Tripathi is Assistant Professor at the Department of International Relations, South Asian University, New Delhi, India.

List of Abbreviations. Preface. Acknowledgments. Introduction Rajen Harshe and Dhananjay Tripathi Part 1 Locating Afghanistan in Globalising World and Testing Theories of International Relations 1. Situating Afghanistan in Globalising World Rajen Harshe 2. The Many Lives of Afghanistan: Re-assessing Disciplinary International Relations Siddharth Mallavarapu 3. Rethinking Stability for Afghanistan: Socialising Great Powers in a Multilateral Order Omar Sadr Part II The U.S.A., NATO and Afghanistan 4. The US Role in Afghanistan: A Critical Overview Dhananjay Tripathi 5. The Afghan National Security Force: The Challenges and Implications of the NATO Withdrawal Jayant Singh 6. For Durable Peace and Stability: Discussing Prospects of the NATO's Membership for Afghanistan Mirwais Balkhi Part III Afghanistan and Major Powers 7. Germany's Engagement in Afghanistan Sandra Destradi 8. Developments in Afghanistan After 2014: A Perspective from Russia and Its Possible Role Nikolay N. Gudalov 9. Withdrawal of the NATO and Indo-Afghan Relations: Emerging Possibilities and Challenges Shaji S Part IV Regional Perspectives on Afghanistan 10. Nailing Jell-O: Regional Organisations and Afghanistan's Security After 2014 Stephen Kingah 11. Afghanistan in the South Asian Traditional and Non-traditional Security Paradigm Arpita Basu Roy 12. Drawdown from Afghanistan: Implications for India's Engagement in Central Asia Athar Zafar and Dinoj K. Upadhyay About the Contributors. Index.